Automatic punching machine



Feb. 13, 1934. M. MAUL AUTOMATIC PUNCH-ING MACHINE Filed June is, 1928 5 Shets-Sheet 1 5 woantoz Feb. 13, 1934. M. MAUL AUTOMATIC PUNCHING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1928 III/III/IIIA flllllllllh Z O t m m w a Feb. 13, 193i. a v MMA'UL v 1,946,913

AUTOMATIC PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 16, 1928 5 Shets-She'et s r I M i 57 47/ E I I u g Feb. 13, 1934. M. MAUL AUTOMATIC PUNCHING MACHINE Filed June 16, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 5w Ev Feb. 13, 1934.

FIG.7.

M. MAUL AUTOMATIC PUNCIHINC: MACHINE Filed June 16. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED um AUTOMATIC PUNCHING MACHINE Michael Maul, Berlin, Germany, a?ssignor, by mesne assignments, to International Business Machines Corporation poration of New .York

New York, Y., a cor-'- 1 Application June 1c, 1928, Serial No. 285.809? and This invention relates to automatic accounting machines and is an improvement on the device disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 209,457, filed July 30, 1927 and now 1 Patent No. 1,896,551. The device disclosed in said application consists of a punching mechanism controlled by punch selectors coupled to accumulating and printing elements of an accounting machine. Upon a group change in the cards, the punch operator pressed a key which initiated the punching operation in the selected unit column of the card, after which the punch- ,ing operation continued automatically in the succeeding'columns under control of the punch selectors. The total standing on the accumulating wheels and printed on a record sheet was thus also punched in selected columns of a card.

The object of the present invention is to obviate the need for manually initiating punching operation. For this purpose means are provided, for setting the punches into operation automatically under control of the automatic group control mechanism which is ordinarily rovided in an accounting machine only for st pping the machine upon a,group change in the cards and effecting total printing. In the present machine when the group change occurs, the automatic control mechanism also effects initiation of the punching operation to perforate a card with the total standing on the accumulating wheels of the accounting machine and usually.

printed on a record sheet.

Inaddition to the automatic control means for initiating the punching operation. The present invention provides alternative manual means for initiating said operation.

While the objects of the invention have been stated in a general way, it is. to be understood that the invention has other objects and advantageswhich will be disclosed in the following parts of the specification, and in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, of the punching machine; Fig. 2 is a side section through the punching machine; Fig. 3 is a means;

Fig. 4 isa view of an accumulating unit of an accounting machine coupled with a punch selector.

Fig. 5 is an end view of adjacent column accumulator wheels and coupled punch selectors;

Fig. 6 is a circuit diagram of the punching machine and its automatic controls;

detail view of the punch actuating in Germany February 28, 1928 10 Claims. (01. 235-92) Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic View of the automatic control mechanism of the accounting machine and the punch initiating means controlled by said mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a detail of the column selectors of the punching machine;

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8. Referring to Fig. 1, A indicates generally the column selecting attachment of the perforating machine which in. conjunction with differential punch selector units located in the accounting tion and B indicates generally the card punching portion of the perforating machine. The perforating machine without the column selecting attachment is described in detail in assignee's Patent No. 1,821,078. In brief, the operation of the punching mechanism is as followszA stack of cards to be punched is placed in magazine 10. The operator draws out a rodll which carries one card from the bottom of the stack forward into the punching section provided with a' single' column of punches 12, each of which is adapted to perforate a corresponding index point position ually, the operator depresses a key 13 cormachine controls the automatic punching operaof a card column. To operate the punches manresponding to a punch selected for operation.

A rod 14 (Fig. 2) rigidly carried by the key rocks a bell crank 15 counterclockwise which moves an interposer bar 17 to an advanced position over the corresponding punch. As the interposer bar advances, it rocks an arm 18 in its path tothe left, which pulls a link 19 (Fig. 3) forward to close contacts 20. Closing of the latter contacts completes a circuit (not shown) through the punching magnet 21 which then attracts armature 22 to actuate links 61 and 24 to rock shaft 60 and the bail 23 fast to said shaft. Ball 23 is directly over the column of punches 12 and when rocked downwardly depresses the interposer bar which has been advanced by operation of a' key 13. The punch corresponding to the latter interposer bar is thereby operated. After each column of the card "is punched, escapement mechanism operates to feed the next 'ca'rd column under the punches 12. The card 'being' punched rests on a frame plate 620. A

card carriage comprisinga rack 630 has an arm 640 at the'rear carrying a pivoted member 650 which drops behind the rear edge of the card being fed and a hold-down cam gripper 660 which engages and holds down the forward end of this card. The rack 6 30 has gear teeth on its lower edge meshing with agear 670 forming part of the casing of a drum enclosing a spiral ring. 1m

As the carriage is moved to the right in Fig. 3

5 left 'is controlled by escapement mechanism responsive to the punching operation. A bail 700 is mounted on shaft 710 and extends beneath all the interposer bars 17 so that when an interposer is loweredto effect punching the bail 700 is rocked counterclockwise against the action of a biasing spring (not shown). A pawl 730 is loosely mounted on shaft 710 and a spring. 720 attached to an extending arm of the pawl tends to force it into engagement with a series of notches formed on the upper edge of rack 630. A second pawl 800 pivoted on the machine frame, cooperates with pawl 730 to form an escapement. A double arm member 810 is also mounted on shaft 710 and arranged to be operated by bail 700. This member is connected to pawl 800 through a pin 820 on member 810 coacting with slot 830 in pawl 800 and to pawl 730 by means of a pin 750 engaging an enlarged hole in the pawl. position the member 810 holdspawl 800 free of the ratchet teeth and holds pawl 730 in engagement with one of them. 1

On a punching operation the lowering of 'one of the interposers 17 moves bail 700 downward and consequently rocks member 810. This first moves pawl 800 into engagement with'the ratchet teeth to hold the card carriage against move;- ment temporarily and then owing to the cooperation of pin 750 with the enlarged hole, raises the pawl 730 freeof the ratchet teeth. The spring 720; on account of the loose mounting of pawl 730 moves it slightly into position to engage the next ratchet tooth. Then on the rise of bail 700 after the punching in the particular card column, the pawl 800 is raised and the card carriage moves until pawl 730 engages the next ratchet tooth stopping the carriage with the next card column under the punches.' This mechanism is fully described in aforesaid Patent No. 1,821,078 and in Patent No. 1,426,223.

Punches whose interposer bars have not been thrust forward will not be affected, as their interposers will be in the position shown in Fig. 2 with the clearance notches 25 under the bail. Contact 26 is provided to cut out the interposeroperating magnets 42 operable alternatively, to keys 13, as will be hereinafter explained while pull-rod 11 is being operated in order to prevent a punching operation during that time (as fully disclosed in aforesaid Patent No. 1,821,078, page 13, line 111 through line 13 of page 14, in conjunction with Figs. 3 and 13.)

The automatic control of the punching mechanism includes punch selectors and column'selectors. The column selectors are preferably located in the perforating machine while the punch selectors are preferably located in the accounting machine and operated in synchronism with the accumulator and printing elements. The punch selectors may be coupled for synchronous operation to any suitable counting, ac-

cumulating, or printing elements, but for the purpose of the present disclosure, the description and drawings have been confined to the accumulating mechanism comprising a part of the accounting machine described in the copen'ding application of Lake, Serial No. 639,153, filed May 15, 1923 now Patent No. 1,822,594. The

accumulator driving. carrying, and other mech-' anism related to the accumulators are all well Normally when the bail 700 is in raised known features 10f the prior art (see, for example, Lake Patent No. 1,307,740 for driving features of the accumulators and refer therein to page 2, lines 119 to 122 and see Hollerith Patent No. 974,272 for the transfer mechanism.)

Fig. 4 (corresponding to'Fig. 20 of Patent No. 1,822,594) shows an accumulator element 28 for adding the items in a corresponding column of the cards passing through the accounting machine of the Lake patent above referred to. As more fully explained in the latter patent upon the sensing of an item in the card by the lower set of analyzing brushes traversing said ,card, column, a circuit is completed through ing upon a group change. At the end of an item reading cycle, the clutches are released and the' accumulator and printing cam wheels stopped. The accumulating cam wheels have thus moved a differential amount corresponding to the value of the item.

'- The punch selector mechanism with which the above elements of the Lake construction are associated comprises an idler gear 35 driven from the accumulating element. 28. Gear 35 meshes with a gear 36 freely rotatable on a stationary rod 37. Associated with each gear 36 is a Staand printing tionary contact ring 38, fixed to the rod 37 ducting segments 40 insulated from each other and from contact ring 38. A brush 41, fixed to gear 36 to rotate therewith, is in constant engagement with ring 38 and is adapted to contact segments 40 successively to conductively connect the segments in turn with the ring 38.

Each of the segments 40 corresponds to a numeral on the accumulating'whe'el 28 and when a particular numeral on. the wheel is at reading position, the segment 40 corresponding to said numeral will be in contact with the brush 41.

Each gear 36, contact ring 38, commutator ring 39 and brush 41 constitute a punch selecting unit. There arev as many such selecting units as the number of accumulating wheels but for the purposes of illustration, only three are shown in Fig. 6,.the one characterizedby an after its reference numerals being controlled rain the units accumulator 28a of a group of adjacent denominational order column accumulators, the selector unit with b after the reference characters crresponding to the tens wheel of said group, and the one with c corresponding to the hundreds wheel of the group.

In series with each of the commutator segments 40 is'a punch magnet 42 corresponding to and adapted for actuating one of the interposers 17. The magnets are connected at one end by a common lead 43 to similar segments on eachof the commutator units. Since only one column at a time is punched, only ten selecting magnets are provided for cooperation with all of the tabulating counters. Each magnet corresponds to the numeral characterizing the commutator segments with which it is in series and operates the punch for perforating the card to designate said numeral. The aforementioned punch selecting units and the magnets 42 are associated ,with a column selector commutator in the punching machine. This *coznmutator comprises a frame bar 47 fixed-to the punch frame 470 in any suitable manner, as for example, by anvend bracket 471' and a bottom angle bracket 4'72 (see particularly Fig. 9). Mounted on top of frame bar 47 and insulated therefrom is a rear contact rail and insulated from the latter is a row of contact sections 46 insulated from each other and carried by the bar 47.

The magnets 42 are in series with one side of a source of current 44, the other side'of which connectsto a contact rail 45. The center lines of sections 46 are a card column apart and the number of sections equalsathe number of columns on a card. 1

Rigidly connected with the card holding carriage of the punching mechanism by means of a bracket 473 secured to rack 63 and a plate 474 is a contact piece 48 (Figs. 1, 8 and 9) for conductively connecting contact rail 45 and thesections 46. As the carriage, after a punching op,

eration, mo es a distance of one card column,

the contact piece 48, also moves the same distance and thus connects each of the sections 46 in succession to the rail 45.

Each of the contact rings 38 of the-selectors, except the one corresponding to the units accumulator, is removably plugged to one of the contact sections 46. For a purpose hereinafter set forth, the units punch selector ring 38a is connected to rail 45 through normally, open contacts 50, the lead 51a from the ring being remov abty connected to one side of contacts 50; The ring 38b of the commutator for the tens accumulator is removably connected by lead 51b to. the section 46b corresponding to the card column in which the data on said tens wheel is to be punched. The ring 380 is removably co'nnected by lead 510 to the section 460 corresponding to the card column in which the data on the hundreds accumulator is to be punched. 'Thus if the data on the units accumulator is to be punched in the twentieth column of thecard corresponding to section 460, in Fig. 6 in the punching mechanism, the tens accumulator 28b will be associated through the ring 38b with section 4611 corresponding to the twenty-first column and the hundreds accumulator will be associated through ring 380 with section 460 corresponding to the twenty-second card column. The removable connections of the rings 38 to column sections 46 permits selective association of any cOf the accumulating wheels with any of the column sections.

The mode of operation of the parts described is as follows: The operator manually actuates keys 13 to perforate data in the card columns preceding those which are to be-perforated automatically in accordance with the reading on the counters of said tabulating machine. Due to their geared connection, the commutator brushes 41 and the accumulators will rotate in synchronism and the brushes will always contact with the commutator segments 40 corresponding to the reading on the counters. I

Assume that the keys 13 have been operated to manually cause punching of a card in the columns preceding the units column'to be automatically punched. Since the card holder, as

. explained above, is advanced one column space after each punching operation, the operationof the keys 13 will have advanced the card 001- umn bycolumn until the card column selected for automatic unit punching is under the punches. In this preliminary manual operation it is possible that some of the columns are not to be punched in any of the 1 to 9 or X positions. In such cases, it is suflicient for 'the purposes of this invention to follow the old prac-. tice in the art of perforating these columns in their zero positions. This is equivalent to and has the same effect as leaving the column unpunched. Now the punch carriage has been moved so that the bridging contact 48 overlies section 46a corresponding to the units column of the item to be punched. The punching of the card in this column in accordance with the reading of the lmits accumulator is placed under control of the automatic group change control mechanism the operation of which in controlling the "total punching will be explained with reference to Fig. '7. The accounting machine feeds cards successively to analyzing brushes and 61 positioned to read selected group control columns of the cards. The items in these selected columns are not accumulated-orlisted by the machine but serve only as control characters. So long as the designations in the group' con-. trol columns of two successive cards agree, the machine continues to operate to accumulate and list the items in other card columns. Only two group control columns of the card and two sets of group control elements are shown in Fig.7 for. purposes of illustration but it will be understood that if desired-use may be made of one, three, four, or more such columns and corresponding sets of group control elements. Each set of group control elements comprises aforementioned analyzing brushes 60 and 61 for reading alined group control columns df upper and lower cards, a magnet 63 connected in contacts 68 controlled by said magnet 63. If the group designations in two successive cards agree, the brushes 60 and 61 sensing the same column of the two cards will contact the per- {orations in said column at the same time, tHereby completing circuits 62 through magnets 63 which thereupon attract armatures 64 to unlatch bails 65 which are then rocked clockwise by springs 6'7 to effect closing of contacts 68 there being one pair of coacting contacts 68 operatively associated with each magnet 63. The pairs of contacts 68 are in series in the same cir-' cuit 69 so that each pair must be closed in order to complete the circuit. This will occur only if the group designations in each column of Suecessive cards agree and some time during the card cycle each magnet 63 has been energized to close the associated pair of contacts 68. Circuit 69 includes a magnet 70which controls the punch initiating operation. During the item reading portion of the card cycle, contacts 71 remain closed to complete a parallel circuit 72 through magnet 70. At the end of the item' reading cycle, a cam 75 opens contacts '71 but magnet 70 remains energized due to closing of the contacts 68 some time during the card reading cycle if the group designations in the cards under the brushes agree.

.At the beginning of the next card reading cycle, cams 66 move bails 65 back into latching engagement ,with armatures 64 which have meanwhile been released by magnets 63. When successive group designations fail to agree, one or; more of magnets 63 will fail to be energized and corresponding contacts 68 will-thus remain open at the end of the card reading cycle. At this time, contacts 71 will also open. thus causing deenergization of magnet 70 and permitting armature 73 controlled by said magnet to drop into contact with an arm 74 and close contacts 50, previously referred to. Assuming that switch 76 is closed, the closure of contacts 50 will initiate the punching operation. At the same time as the punch control magnet 70 is deenergized under control of the group control mechanism, the latter" causes the machine to stop and through printing cam wheels 33 and device 34 usually effects printing of the totals standing on the accumulators. The punching of a card in accordance with the reading on the accumulators thus takes place while the machine is at rest.

Referring to Fig. 6, units punch selector brush 41a is in contact with ,the segment 4011 which corresponds to the numeral standing on the accumulating, wheel geared to said selector brush. Upon a group change, the contacts 50 are closed in the manner above described. Assuming switch 76 to be closed, a circuit is established from one side 44 of the power source through line 78, contacts 50, line 51a, contact rings 38a, brush 41a, segment 40d in contact with the brush 41a,

flconnected line 43, punching magnet 42 connected to said line, and to the other side of the power source. Energization of magnet 42 attracts its armature 53 (Figs. 2 and 3) depressing plunger l4 and effecting operation of the punch corresponding to the numeral on the units accuniulating wheel. The punch carriage after the punching operation, automatically advances the card to the next column and moves bridging contact piece 48 to the adjacent column contact section 4612.

A circuit is thus automatically completed which energizes the magnet 42 in series with the commutator segment 40b engaged with brush 41b thereby causing the punch corresponding to the numeral on the tens wheel to operate. As the carriage is moved after each punching operation, contact sections 46 are successively engaged by contact piece 48 to cause successive punching of the reading on the successive denominational order accumulators. a

Instead of initiating the punching operation automatically through closure of contacts 50, the

operator may-manually initiate the punching operation by first opening switch '76 and upon occurrence of a group change pressing key to close contacts 81 which function in the same manner as contacts 50.

While I have shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the" invention as applied to, a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. I intend to be limited therefore only as indicated by the scope of the following claims:-

1. In combination, entry-receivingaccounting devices controlled by groups of record cards, punches and dies and actuating mechanism to move the punches and dies relatively to perforate a record, a circuit for causing said actuating mechanism to actuate selected punches relative to the diesifor perforating said record in accordance With "the reading of the accounting devices, contact members operated by the devices, contacts in said circuit selectively engaged by said contact members during operation of the devices, a contact in said circuit normally open during control of the cards by one group of cards,and means-for automatically closing the Y latter contact upon completion of control by the card group to close said circuit and cause operation of the punches in accordance with the selectiveengag'ement of the contacts.

2. A machine including devices for operating on groups of record cards, punches and dies and actuating mechanism to move the punches and dies relatively to perforate a record; circuits, each for causing said mechanism to effect operation of one punch, a plurality of contacts, each in one of said circuits, means operated by the devices for selecting said contacts, and thereby the corresponding punch circuits and a contact automatically closed during operation of the machine and common to all of the circuits for automatically completing the selected punch circuits tocause operation of the corresponding punches.

3. In a machine for operating on records, members for accumulating the items on said records, punches and coacting dies,'magnets for selectively effecting actuation of said punches to perforate a sheet positioned between the punches and dies, circuits for said magnets, commutators, one for each accumulating member, each commutator having one contact for partially closing each magnet circuit, feelers cooperating with said commutators, means for jointly operating said accounting members and effecting relative movementbetween the commutators and feelers to cause the latter to engage contacts corresponding to the readings on the accounting members, and card-controlled means for automatically completing those magnet circuits which are partially closed by the commutators and cooperating feelers.

4, In a machine for operating on record cards assorted into groups, means for sensing a group change, punches and coacting dies for perforating a sheet interposed between the punches and dies one column ata time, selectors, each corresponding to one of the columns to be perforated, said' selectors being operated under card control in accordance with the accumulation of items on all the cards of one group, means jointly controlled by the sensing means and the selector corresponding to the first selected column for operating the punches to perforate the first column and means jointly controlled by the punch operation and the selectors corresponding to the other selected columns for operating the punches I to perforate the other. selected columns whereby the sheet is perforated in accordance with the accumulation of itemsby the selectors.

5. A machine including punches and coacting dies, magnets for selectively effecting operation of the punches, circuits, one for each magnet, a plurality of commutators, each having a set of contacts, one of each set being in one of said.

selectors under control'of a group of cards and,

in accordance with the total of items of said group of cards, card-controlledmeans for automatically causing the punching machine to perforate one denominational order column under control of the corresponding selector, and difierent means than the last-mentioned for completing the operation of the punching machine'to perforate the other columns under control of the corresponding selectors.

7. In a device for controlling a punching machine to successively punch the denominational order columns of a record sheet, a plurality of punch selectors, one corresponding to each column to be punched, means for setting said selectors under control of a group of cards in accordance with the total of items on said group of cards, and group-change sensing means for automatically causing the punching machine to successively perforate the columns of the record sheet under control of the corresponding selectors.

8. In a device for controlling a punching machine having means for successively punching the columnsof a record sheet, a plurality of punch selectors, one corresponding to each column to be punched, means forsetting said selectors in accordance with the total of items on a group of cards, means for sensing a group change in cards, electrical connections between the punch selectors and the punching means, and means controlled by the group( sensing means upon sensing a group change to automatically successively render the connections of the punch selectors efiective to operate the punching means for correspondingly successively perforating the record sheet column after column.

9. In an accounting system for operating on groups of records bearing items; the combination of a column of punch pins, dies therefor, a device for feeding a control card to position an allocated column thereof between the punch pins and dies with each of the index point positions of the card column opposite a corresponding punch pin of the punch pin column, punch selecting means automatically controlled in accordance with the resultant of items on a group of said records for selecting punch pins for operation, and group-change sensing means for rendering the punch selecting means operative to select the punch pins only upon a group change in the records.

10. In a device for controlling a punching machine to successively punch the denominational order columns of a record card; a plurality of punch selectors, one corresponding to each column to be punched, means for automatically setting said selectors in accordance with the resultant of items on a group of records, and groupchange sensing means for causing the punching machine to successively perforate the columns of the record card one denomination after another under control of the selectors only upon a group change in the records.

MICHAEL MAUL. 

